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After an inquiry from POLITICO, Lugar’s office investigated and acknowledged the issue, and the senator is now taking steps to repay the money.

“I was unaware of routine staff work over the course of several years where we may have made mistakes,” Lugar said Wednesday. “I’m sorry that I was not more observant.”

Lugar also tapped his Senate office account to pay about $70,000 in other hotel costs over the course of his 35-year career, his office said. But Lugar was allowed to use that account in those instances because the Senate was in session.

Lugar has come under withering criticism from his Republican primary and Democratic opponents for living outside the state since 1977. His campaign responded in an ad this week to what Lugar calls “Mickey Mouse” attacks.

He is now consulting with the Senate’s disbursement office to determine whether the reimbursements should be paid for out of pocket or through his reelection campaign account.

Since records were only available dating to 1991, Lugar said “it’s conceivable” that the problems stemmed throughout the breadth of his career, which started in 1977. But he insisted the problem occurred “infrequently,” attributing the issue to staff members over the years handling the issue differently.

The latest snafu revolves around an obscure set of Senate guidelines requiring senators to certify his or her “usual place of residence” in their home state as a so-called duty station during periods of Senate adjournment. During those periods, a senator is not allowed to use official funds within the duty station’s region to cover hotel costs, a problem for Lugar since he no longer owns a home there. Lugar has certified his duty station to be at the Indianapolis house he sold in 1977 — the same property in which he’s currently registered to vote.

After being contacted by POLITICO, Lugar’s office said the senator requested a comprehensive review of the records and found that in a handful of cases during periods of adjournment, taxpayers should not have paid for his stays at various hotels, such as the Holiday Inn near the airport and others.

“I was not even aware of the term ‘duty station’ until all of this arose,” Lugar said Wednesday.

Melanie Sloan, head of the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said that while Lugar may have been unaware of the situation, blaming it on staff is not a “sufficient excuse.” Lawmakers, she said, have a “personal responsibility” to make sure they are complying with the rules.

“Read the rules,” Sloan said.

Lugar sold his Indianapolis house after he joined the Senate in 1977, and he’s maintained a residence with his wife, Charlene, in the Washington suburb of McLean, Va., ever since.

While many senators have dual residences, Lugar’s staff has said that the frugal senator has maintained one home in the Washington area to save cash. The Center for Responsive Politics ranks Lugar in the bottom one-third of senators in terms of wealth, with a minimum net worth in 2010 of $283,019 and maximum net worth of $1.1 million.

Readers' Comments (14)

Any Senator who voted to confirm Kagan or Sotomayor would be disqualified from ever receiving my vote for any office. Both of those women have zero respect for the Constitution or limits of governmental power.

With Senators, Representatives, and the President recklessly spending $4.950 trillion dollars since January 20, 2009 when President Obama took office, writing this article only has one reason - to embarrass Sen Lugar. I have no clue who he is but knowing POLITICO he must be a Republicans. Because POLITICO doesn't care about the trillions of dollars in reckless spending by a Democrat in the White House, but damn the senator for charging $4K to the tax payers!

Oh, this guy needs to go. The man is in his 80s and out of touch with us Indiana citizens. He voted for the "Dream Act" also. I've written him often in the last several years and he pretty much kisses me off. So be it Dick, my vote and support goes to Murdock. I agree with the person that said he wouldn't have done anything to right this wrong if he hadn't got caught. Right now he has such nasty, negative commercials on TV, he sickens me. If he is the GOP candidate, the Dem will get my vote and that will be a first for me.

Dick Lugar is one of the most corrupt and dishonest men to ever weasel his way into Congress. Ha! $4500 misappropriated over the past decade? That's a good one! Look closer, it's at least a thousand times as much. Wake up, America!

Richard Lugar and his BFF The US Chamber of Commerce are still launching nasty ads full of untruths while playing the victim as well -- a tactic increasingly used on the right. While folks are investigating, would love to know if the house Mitch Daniels really lives in -- not the Governor's mansion, because even though it's required by Indiana law, he and his family were too good to live there -- was paid for with IN tax dollars, which is against the law.

While it does seem odd that the Indiana Senator no longer has a home in Indiana, by looking at his net worth after spending over 30 years in Congress and the Senate, it seems that money is not a big priority for Senator Lugar. As a progressive Democrat my first instinct would be to think that, simply because of his party affiliation, something is probably askew, however, after reading the article it does seem like an honest oversite. Though I more often then not disagree with his opinions, it does seem that Senator Lugar at least comes by them honestly.